Worshipping In Spirit & In Truth

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John 3:30 NASB He must increase, but I must decrease.

The disappearance of "I"

I actually started out with hostility and humility. But after studying, I found myself at worship. Worship defined by scripture is very different from man's view of worship. I discovered worship is humility and pride is false worship.

So, false worship is hostile to God and worship in spirit and truth comes from a humbled heart before God.

In John 4, Jesus says, God is looking for worshippers who worship in "spirit and truth." Jesus takes it a step further, God is looking for worshippers who must worship Him in spirit and truth because God is spirit. As a believer it is vitally important to understand worship God accepts. This is a subject as magnanimous as God.

Exodus 20:3 NASB "You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,...

God commands, believers are to worship God alone. We are to have nothing above or before Him. God has not changed His view on this.

Attitude of worship

The attitude of worship is I MUST decrease and Christ Jesus MUST increase. We see this in John the Baptist. He is an example of humility worshipping in spirit and truth. The believer in Christ has been given a new heart that says, I must become less and Christ must become more.

John 3:27 NASB John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.

Believers receive from heaven. God-the Father, gave the gift of His Son, Who came from heaven. God-the Son gives the Holy Spirit, Who is from heaven. We give God nothing from heaven because we are earthly minded with a heart of pride (I) and rebellion (will) toward God. Why?

In Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:13-14, we find the first of God's creation choosing I must increase and God must decrease, hostility toward God. Satan came to believe that his looks and abilities gave him the right to be worshipped above God. In fact, he desired to be God because pride was found in his heart. His attitude of pride lead him to sin against God and challenge His sovereignty. Satan was cast out of heaven along with one third of the angels who choose him.

Where do we find Satan? In Genesis 3, we find him in Eden, the Garden of God. What is he doing? He is peddling his lies of pride (I)and rebellion (will) . Adam and Eve choose to disobey God and find themselves cursed and cast out of the Garden of Eden.

God's relationship toward them has drastically changed. From that time forward everyone is infected with Satan's view of God. Why is this important?

Worshipping Jesus Only

John 3: 22 ESV After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison). 25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him."

Once we receive salvation or saving faith in Jesus Christ, we are not to exalt anyone including ourself. When we make comparisons we step into envy and jealousy which is idolatry. This makes our worship hostile and prideful to God.

John 3:27 ESV John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease." 31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.

Leading Others To Christ

The believer is the bride of Christ, the bridegroom. Our job as believers is to guide those God brings into our life to the bridegroom, not ourself. How?

1 Corinthians 1:21 ESV For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The cross of Christ is the center of a believers life. It is not that nothing else is to be known but everything is centered around Christ and His crucifixion on the cross. Without the cross of Christ nothing else would exist and we all deserve eternal death.

Philippians 2:3-11 tell us;

1. Do nothing with our interests, our ambitions, and our recognition as the motive
2. We are not to seek or boast concerning ourselves

The cross makes all equal because we have nothing to offer God except what He gives us. This is worship in spirit and truth, humility.

Worshipping In Spirit and In Truth

John 4:23 ESV But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

Worship is not how you feel, though emotions may be involved, it is exalting the Lord God above all.

Philippians 2:5 ESV Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Have a question about Worshipping In Spirit and In Truth

April 06, 2018 - LHWMThank you for reading this biblestudy. We hope it brought you closer to Jesus. Have a question about this bible study? Great ask your question by clicking on the button. We also accept prayer request, God Bless You.

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Watchman

Ezekiel 33:6 "But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand." (Amplified Bible)

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Sherri Bledsoe

Sherri Bledsoe is an Ordain Minister who has been studying God's Word since 2003. She has spoken at churches, nursing homes and has taught bible classes for many years. Living His Word Ministries was established in June 2008 and went live on the internet in 2013. Our Ministry is to serve our Lord Jesus Christ by speaking scripture only. This ministry is a 501c3 and helps those in need per scripture. We do take donations or offerings.